Questions about trade and chopping wood

I don't understand the AI trade. For example, they might have 103 gold and two iron, and if you ask them how much they will give for a luxury they say 100 gold and two iron. But then I noticed that if you ignore their limit and instead ask for 240 gold, they give it to you. ?? Why would they take that more expensive offer?

Then I notice that sometimes you get the money right aways, and sometimes seemingly never at all.

So it is possible that when they are agreeing to 240 they are really only agreeing to their maximum, ie 103? Which would be a better trade then 100 + iron, so they take it.

Second question: why is timber worth different amounts of hammers? Sometimes you get 20 and sometimes 3. Too much beetle damage?? Or is it how far away from the city center? Or what?

I play on vanilla.

Thanks

1. Civilizations trade luxs for 240 gold or 7 gpt. (obviously 240 is better but in BNW a declaration of friendship is needed before being able to sell luxs and strat resources for gold. Strat resources are 2 gpt or 45 gold instantly, so the trade doesn't seem that far off.)

2. it has to do with how close the timber is to the city. If it is right in your city, it is 20 hammers.

Chopping
It's 20 hammers for ring 1, 15 for ring 2 and 10 for ring 3. I believe rings 4 & 5 are 5 hammers. I cant remember if there is a penalty if the timber isn't in your borders.
Trade
Assuming they don't dislike you trade is:
Buying:
non unique lux for 240gold/9gpt/5 strategic resources they want
unique lux for 720 gold/28gpt/15 strategic resources they want + more
strategic resource for 45gold/1gpt/1 strategic resource they want
open borders/45-50gold/2gpt/open borders/1 strategic resource they want(this assumes friendly). In saying that in a recent game Alex offered(I didn't ask) me open borders for free, and this was early on.
255 gold for 10gpt(needs DOF)
Selling:
lux(unique or otherwise) for 240gold/7gpt/5 strategic resources
strategic resource for 45gold/2gpt/1 strategic resource
open borders for 45-50gold/1gpt/open borders/1 strategic resource
33gold for 1gpt
Shaka:
When you first meet him its always lux for a lux + 3gpt

On chopping forests: at Standard speed, it's 20 hammers for forests chopped in rings 1 and 2, 15 hammers in ring 3, 10 hammers in ring 4 and 5 hammers in ring 5. IIRC, there is a roughly 33% discount (rounded) if the tile is outside your culture borders (e.g., ring 2 chop would be 13 hammers, rather than 20).

Thanks, so I take they always give the amount that is agreed on the exchange. I know it doesn't happen right away, because gold did not go up 240. But I guess it trickles in??

If you trade a luxury for gold per turn, the gold does trickle in - turn by turn - but it doesn't add up to 240 gold (7 gpt x 30 turns = 210). Might seem counter-intuitive that the AI will pay more upfront (240 gold) than over time (210), but the AI appears to be programmed to take a conservative view of future commitments -- with a gpt trade, the AI runs the risk that its other sources of income dry up and it will run a deficit.

You also won't necessarily see your gold balance rise over time. You may spend some of that gold on unit upgrades or to buy some tiles or a unit or building, or to buy influence with a City-State. Also, over the course of the trade, you will be training units and constructing buildings, all of which have a maintenance cost. The gpt from your trade helps fund that maintenance cost.

thanks

Unless I'm reading it wrong, I don't think you had your trading question properly answered. If they only have 103 gold to part with, and you type in 240 and they accept, in reality they're only giving you 103 gold. They will not trade you more of a lump sum than what they currently have. The remaining 137 doesn't "trickle in" because you only traded for the 103 gold. It can seem a little deceiving.